England Squad

[Craig_H]

Rain lashing down now, it's turned into a tropical storm out there

Joe Cole's a class act, if he doesnt go to SA, it'll be ridiculous.

[Tatterdemalion]

Christ, Heskey is lethal...ly funny

[Craig_H]

Thunder and lightening, players shirts absolutely drenched and clinging to them.

This is what it's all about.

Gerrard plays a peach of a cross to the far post, heskey comes in with a header, 2 yards from goal....and he puts it wide

Capello's a clown if he takes this waster.

[Fernandinho]

sounds much like australias game, we were loosing 1-0 against NZ and playing like rubbish, then we came out in the second half and got two **** goals...

[Craig_H]

Japan corner, looping head at the near post...flies up in the air and lands onto the crossbar. England get lucky.

Hart looks a natual, but has only 3 caps. England should've used him far more in the qualifiers, blood him against lesser opposition but in games that still matter, and he'd have been ideal going into this world cup.

Sticking with James was silly.

[Bender]

austria

[Craig_H]

Gerrard looks imjured.

[Vermilion]

Think this og fella from utd will be a shoe in to go to the world cup now after todays display....one of the surprise additions nobody thought would make the plane.....as it always is with world cups, the legend lives on.... og will win us the world cup, you heard it here first..

[Mattshark]

Rain lashing down now, it's turned into a tropical storm out there

Joe Cole's a class act, if he doesnt go to SA, it'll be ridiculous.

and the midfield with out Gerrard looked completely lost and inept.

[wavydavy]

That gang of dickheads who follow England around with trumpets etc. As people who can obviously play a bit how have you managed to get the tune to "Ring of Fire" so ****ing wrong? It's barely recognisable.

[Craig_H]

and the midfield with out Gerrard looked completely lost and inept.

Considering that Rooney's england's only world class forward, and that Lampard and Gerrard are both excellent midfielders, they should really play 4-5-1.

Joe Cole on the left, a holding midfielder to free up Lampard and Gerrard to support Rooney up front.

[Fernandinho]

i could see a 4-5-1 or a 4-2-3-1 working.... lamps stay deap with barry or huddlestone and gerrard behind rooney with cole left and lennon right...

btw, how did walcott play tonight? who is leading between him and lennon atm

[Craig_H]

Lampard's biggest strength is pushing forward and scoring goals from midfield - why would you get him to sit deep? That totally negates his biggest asset.

[Kenneth]

**** all round, but most of that shower won't see the pitch in the WC unless they fill in for injuries. Gerrard is a class above anyone else in MF, it was a very different game when he came on and started to pull the strings.

Rio Ferdinand

Apart from the striker issue (should be Bent), it's the wide men that are the biggest worry. SWP and Lennon, as Ok as they are, are **** on an international scale. Walcott is **** on any scale.

[Kenneth]

Lampard's biggest strength is pushing forward and scoring goals from midfield - why would you get him to sit deep? That totally negates his biggest asset.

Lampard is excellent at runs from MF and taking potshots that end up on target (mostly indirectly). As you say, such a waste having him passing the ball around in the middle of the pitch all game, especially when he isn't particularly good at it. Not a good enough defender/tackler for that position either.